MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA Europe Cup players laced the international window with incredible moments and highlight-reel plays as they learned their fate for the summer.
How did they get on? Let's take a look, and you can pick your favorite by voting below.
Melwin Pantzar - Sweden
GUARD
Birth Date: 10 April 2000 (24 years old) Height: 188cm / 6'2" Club: Bilbao Basket
Stats: 20.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 3.0 SPG - EFF: 24.0
They did it in nerve-racking fashion, but Sweden ended a 12-year wait as they qualified for FIBA EuroBasket 2025 in the final window with Pantzar firing on all cylinders.
The Bilbao Basket guard went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc for his team-high 22 points in the 81-77 overtime loss to Bulgaria. The 24 year old also pulled down 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Pantzar followed that up with an 18-point, 6-rebound showing against Montenegro, going a perfect 4-for-4 from long distance in an 86-83 win that sealed their qualification.
Pantzar's club teammate Kristian Kullamae flirted with a triple-double of 7 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists in Estonia's 84-65 win over North Macedonia to punch their own ticket to EuroBasket.
Tryggvi Hlinason - Iceland
CENTER
Birth Date: 28 October 1997 (27 years old) Height: 215cm / 7'1" Club: Bilbao Basket
Stats: 12.5 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 3.5 BPG - EFF: 25.0
Hlinason was a dominant force as he helped Iceland become the final nation to stamp their ticket to this summer's FIBA EuroBasket.
The Bilbao man was a towering presence in the final two games of the international window: collecting 12 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in the 87-78 loss to Hungary, backed up by a stellar 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in the 83-71 win over Türkiye that sealed their place in front of their home fans.
Elvar Fridriksson - Iceland
POINT GUARD
Birth Date: 11 November 1994 (30 years old) Height: 183cm / 6'0" Club:Maroussi BC
Stats: 16.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 7.5 APG - EFF: 16.0
From one Icelandic hero to another. Fridriksson has been a wizard at times for Maroussi BC, and while their run in FIBA Europe Cup is over, the 30-year-old can look forward to this summer's EuroBasket.
The point guard posted a double-double of 20 points and 10 assists in the loss to Hungary, but played a big factor in the Nordic island nation's qualification-sealing success over Türkiye, shooting a handy 3-for-4 from three-point land for 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Travante Williams - Portugal
FORWARD
Birth Date: 29 Jul 1993 (31 years old) Height: 197cm / 6'6" Club: CSM CSU Oradea
Stats: 14.0 PPG, 3.0 SPG - EFF: 8.5
Travante Williams was outstanding for Portugal as he helped lead them to their first FIBA EuroBasket since 2011. The Oradea forward scored 14 points in both games: a narrow 84-78 loss to Israel and an 88-60 defeat to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, FC Porto's Miguel Queiroz captained Portugal to their historic EuroBasket return and contributed 10 points and 6 assists against Ukraine - with their spot already secured on Gameday 5, despite the two defeats.
Eimantas Bendzius - Lithuania
FORWARD
Birth Date: 23 April 1990 (34 years old) Height: 207cm / 6'9" Club: Banco di Sardegna Sassari
Stats: 17.5PPG, 4.5RPG, 1.5APG - EFF: 18.5
Banco di Sardegna Sassari might have gone out of the FIBA Europe Cup in the Second Round, but Bendzius made up for the domestic disappointment with a solid final international window for Lithuania, who had already qualified for FIBA EuroBasket.
Bendzius was a devastating 6-of-9 from three-point land in 18 points along with 6 rebounds in the 82-48 hammering of Poland in one of the FIBA EuroBasket host venues, Katowice. The veteran followed that with another hot shooting night; hitting five triples from six attempts for 17 points in the 82-75 win at home over Estonia.
Who else impressed?
Elsewhere, ESSM Le Portel's Kristers Zoriks capped a perfect Qualifiers campaign for co-hosts Latvia with an 83-66 rout of Spain, where Zoriks hit 11 points in the win. He then hit 15 points in the 89-68 win over Slovakia to help the Latvians to a 6-0 record.
There was joy also for Sassari's Miralem Halilovic with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Halilovic was flawless from the field; hitting all four of his attempts for 8 points and 3 rebounds in the comfortable 108-62 win over FIBA EuroBasket co-hosts Cyprus. He then flirted with a double-double of 9 points and 8 rebounds in the heartbreaking 76-74 loss to France.
Outside of Europe, Trae Bell-Haynes helped Canada seal a spot at the FIBA AmeriCup in their final game - posting 11 points and 6 assists in the narrow 98-94 loss to Mexico. Before that, the Casademont Zaragoza man stuffed the statsheet with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block in the Canadians 74-65 loss on the road to Dominican Republic.
In the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Bilbao's Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had a mixed international window with Saudi Arabia. Abdur-Rahkman had a tough debut as he shot 3-of-13 in the 78-68 loss away to Jordan, before bouncing back with 23 points and 7 assists in the routine 93-71 win over Palestine.
In the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Pre-Qualifiers, Norway's Harold Frey of Bilbao and Chris-Ebou Ndow of Cholet Basket along with CSM CSU Oradea's Kris Richard of Romania all triumphed, as they led their respective nations to the Second Round of the Qualifiers in the final window.
FIBA